Methods of manufacturing semiconductor devices

ABSTRACT

A semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, the device including gate structures on a substrate; source/drain layers on portions of the substrate that are adjacent the gate structures, respectively; first contact plugs contacting upper surfaces of the source/drain layers, respectively; a second contact plug contacting one of the gate structures, a sidewall of the second contact plug being covered by an insulating spacer; and a third contact plug commonly contacting an upper surface of at least one of the gate structures and at least one of the first contact plugs, at least a portion of a sidewall of the third contact plug not being covered by an insulating spacer.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a divisional application based on pending application Ser. No.16/217,220, filed Dec. 12, 2018, which in turn is a division ofapplication Ser. No. 15/497,283, filed Apr. 26, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No.10,177,093 B2, issued Jan. 8, 2019, the entire contents of both beinghereby incorporated by reference.

Korean Patent Application No. 10-2016-0128085, filed on Oct. 5, 2016 inthe Korean Intellectual Property Office and entitled: “SemiconductorDevices And Methods Of Manufacturing The Same,” is incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

Embodiments relate to semiconductor devices and methods of manufacturingthe same.

2. Description of the Related Art

A first contact plug contacting an upper surface of a gate structure maybe formed only above an isolation layer, and may not be in contact witha second contact plug contacting an upper surface of a source/drainlayer.

SUMMARY

The embodiments may be realized by providing a semiconductor deviceincluding gate structures on a substrate; source/drain layers onportions of the substrate that are adjacent the gate structures,respectively; first contact plugs contacting upper surfaces of thesource/drain layers, respectively; a second contact plug contacting oneof the gate structures, a sidewall of the second contact plug beingcovered by an insulating spacer; and a third contact plug commonlycontacting an upper surface of at least one of the gate structures andat least one of the first contact plugs, at least a portion of asidewall of the third contact plug not being covered by an insulatingspacer.

The embodiments may be realized by providing a semiconductor deviceincluding gate structures on a substrate; source/drain layers onportions of the substrate adjacent to the gate structures, respectively;first contact plugs contacting upper surfaces of ones of thesource/drain layers, respectively, upper surfaces of the first contactplugs having a first height; at least one second contact plug contactingone or ones of the source/drain layers, an upper surface of the at leastone second contact plug having a second height greater than the firstheight; an insulating interlayer covering at least upper sidewalls ofthe first and second contact plugs, the insulating interlayer includingsilicon oxide, and at least a portion of an upper portion of theinsulating interlayer having a silicon content greater than that of alower portion of the insulating interlayer; a third contact plugcontacting one of the gate structures, the third contact plug beingbetween the first contact plugs; and a fourth contact plug commonlycontacting an upper surface of one of the gate structures and the atleast one second contact plug.

The embodiments may be realized by providing a semiconductor deviceincluding active fins on a substrate, each of the active fins extendingin a first direction that is substantially parallel to an upper surfaceof the substrate, the active fins being disposed in a second directionthat is substantially parallel to the upper surface of the substrate andsubstantially perpendicular to the first direction, and lower sidewallsof the active fins being covered by an isolation pattern; one or moredummy active fins covered by the isolation pattern, each of the dummyactive fins extending in the first direction; gate structures on theactive fins and the isolation pattern, each of the gate structuresextending in the second direction, and the gate structures beingdisposed in the first direction; source/drain layers on the active finsand the isolation pattern adjacent the gate structures in the firstdirection; first contact plugs and second contact plugs, the first andsecond contact plugs contacting upper surfaces of the source/drainlayers, respectively; a third contact plug contacting one of the gatestructures, a sidewall of the third contact plug being covered by aninsulating spacer; a fourth contact plug commonly contacting an uppersurface of at least one of the gate structures and of at least one ofthe second contact plugs; and wirings on the first to fourth contactplugs, each of the wirings extending in the first direction, and thewirings being disposed in the second direction, wherein the thirdcontact plug is electrically connected to one of the wirings verticallyoverlapping the source/drain layers.

The embodiments may be realized by providing a method of manufacturing asemiconductor device, the method including forming transistors on asubstrate such that each of the transistors includes a gate structureand a source/drain layer adjacent thereto; forming a first insulatinginterlayer on the substrate to cover the transistors; forming firstcontact plugs and a second contact plug through the first insulatinginterlayer to contact the source/drain layers, respectively; forming asecond insulating interlayer on the first insulating interlayer, and thefirst and second contact plugs; forming first and second openingsthrough the first and second insulating interlayers such that the firstopening exposes one of the gate structures and the second openingcommonly exposes at least one of the gate structures and the secondcontact plug adjacent thereto; forming a first insulating spacer on asidewall of the first opening; and forming third and fourth contactplugs in the first and second openings, respectively.

The embodiments may be realized by providing a method of manufacturing asemiconductor device, the method including forming transistors on asubstrate such that each of the transistors includes a gate structureand a source/drain layer adjacent thereto; forming a first insulatinginterlayer on the substrate to cover the transistors; forming first andsecond contact plugs through the first insulating interlayer to contactthe source/drain layers, respectively; removing upper portions of thefirst contact plugs; implanting ions into an upper portion of the firstinsulating interlayer; forming a second insulating interlayer on thefirst insulating interlayer and the first and second contact plugs; andforming third and fourth contact plugs through the first and secondinsulating interlayers such that the third contact plug contacts one ofthe gate structures and the fourth contact plug commonly contacts atleast one of the gate structures and the second contact plug adjacentthereto.

The embodiments may be realized by providing a semiconductor deviceincluding a substrate; gate structures on the substrate; source/drainlayers adjacent to the gate structures; first contact plugs contactingupper surfaces of some of the source/drain layers; second contact plugscontacting upper surfaces of other ones of the source/drain layers; athird contact plug contacting one of the gate structures, a sidewall ofthe third contact plug being covered by an insulating spacer such thatthe third contact plug is electrically insulated from the first contactplugs; a fourth contact plug commonly contacting an upper surface of atleast one of the gate structures and at least one of the second contactplugs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features will be apparent to those of skill in the art by describing indetail exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings inwhich:

FIGS. 1 to 5 illustrate plan views and cross-sectional views of asemiconductor device in accordance with example embodiments;

FIGS. 6 to 34 illustrate plan views and cross-sectional views of stagesin a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device in accordance withexample embodiments;

FIG. 35 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor device inaccordance with example embodiments;

FIG. 36 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor device inaccordance with example embodiments;

FIGS. 37 to 39 illustrate a plan view and cross-sectional views ofstages in a method of manufacturing a semiconductor in accordance withexample embodiments; and

FIGS. 40 and 41 illustrate cross-sectional views of a semiconductordevice in accordance with example embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 to 5 illustrate plan views and cross-sectional views of asemiconductor device in accordance with example embodiments.Particularly, FIG. 1 is a plan view, and FIGS. 2 to 5 arecross-sectional views. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along aline A-A′ of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along a lineB-B′ of FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line C-C′of FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line D-D′of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5, the semiconductor device may include gatestructures 280 on a substrate 100, source/drain layers 210 on portionsof the substrate 100 adjacent the gate structures 280, first contactplugs 332 contacting upper surfaces of ones of the source/drain layers210 and including upper surfaces (e.g., facing away from the substrate100) having a first height (e.g., as measured from the substrate 100),at least one second contact plug 334 contacting ones of the source/drainlayers 210 and including an upper surface having a second height, athird contact plug 392 contacting an upper surface of one of the gatestructures 280 and being between neighboring ones of the first contactplugs 332, and a fourth contact plug 394 commonly contacting an uppersurface of one of the gate structures 280 and the second contact plug334. For example, a distance from the substrate 100 to distal ends ofthe second contact plugs 334 may be greater that a distance from thesubstrate to distal ends of the first contact plugs 332.

The semiconductor device may further include first, second and thirdinsulating interlayers 300, 360 and 400, an insulation reinforcing layer305, a first insulating spacer 382, first and second vias 412 and 414,and wirings 420.

The substrate 100 may include a semiconductor material, e.g., silicon,germanium, silicon-germanium, etc., or III-V semiconductor compounds,e.g., GaP, GaAs, GaSb, etc. In an implementation, the substrate 100 maybe a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate, or a germanium-on-insulator(GOI) substrate.

A recess 110 and an isolation pattern 120 partially filling the firstrecess 110 may be formed on the substrate 100, and the substrate 100 maybe divided into an active region 105 protruding from an upper surface ofthe substrate 100 and a field region. The active region 105 may be alsoreferred to as an active fin.

In an implementation, the active fin 105 may extend in a first directionsubstantially parallel to an upper surface of the substrate 100, and aplurality of active fins 105 may be formed in a second directionsubstantially parallel to the upper surface of the substrate 100 andcrossing the first direction. In an implementation, the first and seconddirections may cross each other at a right angle.

The active fin 105 may include a lower active pattern 105 b of which asidewall is covered by the isolation pattern 120, and an upper activefin 105 a protruding from an upper surface of the isolation pattern 120.

In an implementation, the upper active patterns 105 a of ones of theactive fins 105 may be removed, and dummy active fins may be formed.Each of the dummy active fins may include a portion of the lower activepattern 105 b, and a sidewall of the dummy active fin may be covered bythe isolation pattern 120 and an upper surface of the dummy active finmay be covered by the insulation pattern 220. No source/drain layer 210may be formed on an upper surface of the dummy active fin, unlike theactive fin 105. In an implementation, one or a plurality of dummy activefins may be formed between the active fins 105, and may extend in thefirst direction.

The isolation pattern 120 may include an oxide, e.g., silicon oxide.

In an implementation, the gate structure 280 may extend in the seconddirection on the active fin 105 and the isolation pattern 120, and aplurality of gate structures 280 may be formed in the first direction.The gate structure 280 may include an interface pattern 240, a gateinsulation pattern 250, a work function control pattern 260, and a gateelectrode 270 sequentially stacked, and may form a transistor togetherwith the source/drain layer 210. The transistor may be apositive-channel metal oxide semiconductor (PMOS) transistor or anegative-channel metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS) transistor accordingto the conductivity type of the source/drain layer 210.

The interface pattern 240 may include an oxide, e.g., silicon oxide, thegate insulation pattern 250 may include a metal oxide having a highdielectric constant, e.g., hafnium oxide, tantalum oxide, zirconiumoxide, etc., the work function control pattern 260 may include a metalnitride or an alloy thereof, e.g., titanium nitride, titanium aluminum,titanium aluminum nitride, tantalum nitride, tantalum aluminum nitride,etc., and the gate electrode 270 may include a low resistance metal or anitride thereof, e.g., aluminum, copper, tantalum, etc.

A gate spacer 160 may be formed on each of opposite sidewalls of thegate structure 280 in the first direction, and a fin spacer 170 may beformed on each of opposite sidewalls of the active fin 105 in the seconddirection. The gate spacer 160 and the fin spacer 170 may include anitride, e.g., silicon nitride.

The source/drain layer 210 may fill a second recess 190 on the activefin 105 adjacent the gate structure 280 in the first direction, and maycontact a sidewall of the gate spacer 160. In an implementation, thesource/drain layer 210 may have a cross-section taken along the seconddirection having a pentagon-like shape.

In an implementation, the source/drain layer 210 may include singlecrystalline silicon-germanium doped with p-type impurities. In animplementation, the source/drain layer 210 may include singlecrystalline silicon carbide doped with n-type impurities or singlecrystalline silicon doped with n-type impurities.

In an implementation, when a distance between neighboring ones of theactive fins 105 in the second direction is small, the source/drainlayers 210 on upper surfaces of the respective ones of the active fins105 may be connected to each other so as to be merged with each other.In an implementation, as illustrated the figures, two source/drainlayers 210 on two neighboring active fins 105 in the second directionmay be merged with each other. In an implementation, more than twosource/drain layers 210 may be merged with each other.

An air gap 225 may be formed between the isolation pattern 120 and themerged source/drain layers 210.

The insulation layer 220 may be formed on the active fin 105, the dummyactive fin, and the isolation pattern 120, and may cover a sidewall ofthe gate structure 280 and the source/drain layer 210. The insulationlayer 220 may include, e.g., silicon oxide or Tonen Silazene (TOSZ).

A capping layer 290 and the first insulating interlayer 300 may besequentially formed on the gate structure 280 and the insulation layer220. The capping layer 290 may include a nitride, e.g., silicon nitride,and the first insulating interlayer 300 may include a silicon oxide,e.g., tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS).

The first and second contact plugs 332 and 334 may extend through thefirst insulating interlayer 300, the capping layer 290, and theinsulation layer 220, and may contact upper surfaces of the source/drainlayers 210. A first metal silicide pattern 320 may be formed between thesource/drain layer 210 and each of the first and second contact plugs332 and 334. The first metal silicide pattern 320 may include, e.g.,titanium silicide, cobalt silicide, or nickel silicide, etc.

In an implementation, each of the first and second contact plugs 332 and334 may have a high aspect ratio, and a width of each of the first andsecond contact plugs 332 and 334 may decrease from a top toward a bottomthereof. In an implementation, upper portions of the first contact plugs332 may be removed after the first and second contact plugs 332 and 334are formed (refer to FIGS. 25 to 28), and the upper portions having arelatively large width may be removed so that a distance between thefirst contact plugs 332 may be decreased. Accordingly, when an uppersurface of the second contact plug 334 has a second height, an uppersurface of each of the first contact plugs 332 may have a first heightless than the second height.

As the upper portions of the first contact plugs 332 are removed, fourthrecesses 350 may be formed on the first insulating interlayer 300, andthus an upper surface of the first insulating interlayer 300 may nothave a uniform height. As a result, the first contact plugs 332 may beformed under the fourth recesses 350, respectively.

Each of the first and second contact plugs 332 and 334 may have a secondmetal pattern including a metal, e.g., tungsten, copper, etc., and afirst barrier pattern covering a sidewall and a lower surface of thesecond metal pattern and including a metal nitride, e.g., tantalumnitride, titanium nitride, tungsten nitride, etc.

In an implementation, each of the first and second contact plugs 332 and334 may be formed on the source/drain layers 210 on the upper surfacesof the active fins 105, and thus may not vertically overlap the dummyactive fin including only the lower active pattern 105 b.

Each of the first contact plugs 332 may extend in the second directionto a given length, and a plurality of first contact plugs 332 may beformed in the first direction. The second contact plug 334 may extend inthe second direction to a given length, and one or more than one secondcontact plugs 334 may be formed in the first direction. In the figure,two second contact plugs 334 are formed in the first direction.

The insulation reinforcing layer 305 may be formed on the firstinsulating interlayer 300. The insulation reinforcing layer 305 may beformed by an ion implantation process onto the first insulatinginterlayer 300. When the first insulating interlayer 300 includessilicon oxide, silicon ions may be implanted into the first insulatinginterlayer 300 to form a silicon-rich silicon oxide layer. In animplementation, other types of ions may be implanted into the firstinsulating interlayer 300 to form the insulation reinforcing layer 305.

In an implementation, the insulation reinforcing layer 305 may be formedon the upper surface of the first insulating interlayer 300 with auniform thickness. As the upper surface of the first insulatinginterlayer 300 does not have a uniform height, the insulationreinforcing layer 305 may not have a uniform height, either.

By the ion implantation process, ions may be also implanted into upperportions of the first contact plugs 332, and thus a second metalsilicide pattern 336 may be formed on each of the first contact plugs332.

The second insulating interlayer 360 may be formed on the firstinsulating interlayer 300 on which the insulation reinforcing layer 305is formed, the first contact plugs 332 on which the second metalsilicide patterns 336 are formed, and the second contact plug 334, andmay include a nitride, e.g., silicon nitride.

The third contact plug 392 may extend through the second insulatinginterlayer 360, the insulation reinforcing layer 305, the firstinsulating interlayer 300, and the capping layer 290, and may contact anupper surface of one of the gate structures 280, and the fourth contactplug 394 may extend through the second insulating interlayer 360, thefirst insulating interlayer 300, a portion of the second contact plug334, and the capping layer 290, and may contact an upper surface of oneof the gate structures 280.

In an implementation, the third contact plug 392 may be formed betweenneighboring ones of the first contact plugs 332 in the first direction,which may be formed on the source/drain layers 210 at opposite sides ofthe gate structure 280, respectively, and thus may not verticallyoverlap the dummy active fin.

In an implementation, the fourth contact plug 394 may contact a sidewallof the second contact plug 334, and when two second contact plugs 394are formed at opposite sides of the gate structure 280 in the firstdirection, the fourth contact plug 394 may contact respective oppositesidewalls of the two second contact plugs 394.

Each of the third and fourth contact plugs 392 and 394 may have a thirdmetal pattern including a metal, e.g., tungsten, copper, etc., and asecond barrier pattern covering a sidewall and a lower surface of thethird metal pattern and including a metal nitride, e.g., tantalumnitride, titanium nitride, tungsten nitride, etc. In an implementation,each of the third and fourth contact plugs 392 and 394 may include onlythe third metal pattern.

A sidewall of the third contact plug 392 may be covered by the firstinsulating spacer 382. The first insulating spacer 382 may have a hollowcylindrical shape, and may include an oxide, e.g., silicon oxide.

In an implementation, the third contact plug 392 may be formed betweenneighboring ones of the first contact plugs 332 in the first direction.If a misalignment were to occur during the formation of a fourth opening370 (refer to FIGS. 29 and 30) for forming the third contact plug 392,the sidewall of the third contact plug 392 may be covered by the firstinsulating spacer 382, and thus may be electrically insulated from thefirst contact plugs 332.

As the upper portions of the first contact plugs 332 having therelatively large width are removed, a distance between the third contactplug 392 and the first contact plugs 332 may increase, and thus thepossibility that the first and third contact plugs 332 and 392 come intocontact with each other may decrease.

Further, the insulation reinforcing layer 305 may be formed on the firstinsulating interlayer 300 through which the first contact plugs 332 areformed, and thus the electrical insulation between the first and thirdcontact plugs 332 and 392 may be enhanced.

Accordingly, when compared to a case in which the third contact plug 392vertically overlaps the dummy active fin, even when the third contactplug 392 is formed close to the first contact plugs 332 due to thereduction in the size of the semiconductor device, electrical insulationbetween the first and third contact plugs 332 and 392 may be enhancedand the possibility of an electrical short may decreased.

No insulating spacer may be formed on a sidewall of the fourth contactplug 394 commonly contacting the upper surface of the gate structure 280and the second contact plug 334 adjacent thereto, unlike the thirdcontact plug 392, and thus the contact resistance between the second andfourth contact plugs 334 and 394 may not increase.

The third insulating interlayer 400 may be formed on the secondinsulating interlayer 360, the third and fourth contact plugs 392 and394, and the first insulating spacer 382, and the wirings 420electrically connected to ones of the first to fourth contact plugs 332,334, 392 and 394 may be formed in the third insulating interlayer 400.

In an implementation, each of the wirings 420 may extend in the firstdirection, and a plurality of wirings 420 may be formed in the seconddirection.

In an implementation, ones of the wirings 420 may be electricallyconnected to the first contact plug 332, which may be possible throughthe first via 412 extending through the second and third insulatinginterlayers 360 and 400 and contacting lower surfaces of the ones of thewirings 420 and an upper surface of the first contact plug 332. Otherones of the wirings 420 may be electrically connected to the thirdcontact plug 392, which may be possible through the second via 414extending through the third insulating interlayer 400 and contactinglower surfaces of the other ones of the wirings 420 and an upper surfaceof the third contact plug 392.

In an implementation, the underlying contact plugs 332, 334, 392 and 394and the overlying wirings 420 may be connected to each other by variousstructures and/or methods.

In an implementation, each of the wirings 420 and the first and secondvias 412 and 414 may have a fourth metal pattern and a third barrierpattern covering a sidewall and a lower surface of the fourth metalpattern.

In an implementation, ones of the wirings 420 may vertically overlap thedummy active fins, and ones of the wirings 420 may vertically overlapthe active fins 105 or the source/drain layers 210 thereon.

The third contact plug 392 contacting the upper surface of the gatestructure 280 between the first contact plugs 332 on the source/drainlayers 210 may not vertically overlap the dummy active fins, and thusmay be electrically connected to ones of the wirings 420 not verticallyoverlapping the dummy active fins.

As explained above, even if the third contact plug 392 is close to thefirst contact plugs 332 according to the cell layout, the possibility ofelectrical short between the first and third contact plugs 332 and 392may decrease due to the first insulating spacer 382, the fourth recess350, and the insulation reinforcing layer 305.

FIGS. 6 to 34 illustrate plan views and cross-sectional views of stagesin a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device in accordance withexample embodiments. Particularly, FIGS. 6, 8, 11, 15, 18, 22, 25, and32 are plan views, and FIGS. 7, 9-10, 12-14, 15-17, 19-21, 23-24, 26-31,and 33-34 are cross-sectional views.

FIGS. 7, 12, 14, 16, 19, 23 and 26 are cross-sectional views taken alonglines A-A′ of corresponding plan views, respectively, FIGS. 9 and 20 arecross-sectional views taken along lines B-B′ of corresponding planviews, respectively, FIGS. 10, 13, 17, 21, 24, 27, 29 and 33 arecross-sectional views taken along lines C-C′ of corresponding planviews, respectively, and FIGS. 28, 30, 31 and 34 are cross-sectionalviews taken along lines D-D′ of corresponding plan views, respectively.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, an upper portion of a substrate 100 may bepartially etched to form a first recess 110, and an isolation pattern120 may be formed to fill a lower portion of the first recess 110.

As the first recess 110 is formed on the substrate 100, an active region105 may be defined on the substrate 100. The active region 105 mayprotrude from an upper surface of the substrate 100, and thus may bealso referred to as an active fin. A region of the substrate 100 onwhich the active fin 105 is not formed may be referred to as a fieldregion.

In an implementation, the active fin 105 may extend in a first directionsubstantially parallel to the upper surface of the substrate 100, and aplurality of active fins 105 may be formed in a second direction, whichmay be substantially parallel to the upper surface of the substrate 100and cross the first direction. In an implementation, the first andsecond directions may cross each other at a right angle, and thus may besubstantially perpendicular to each other.

In an implementation, the isolation pattern 120 may be formed by formingan isolation layer on the substrate 100 to sufficiently fill the firstrecess 110, planarizing the isolation layer until the upper surface ofthe substrate 100 is exposed, and removing an upper portion of theisolation layer to expose an upper portion of the first recess 110. Theisolation layer may be formed of an oxide, e.g., silicon oxide.

As the isolation pattern 120 is formed on the substrate 100, the activefin 105 may be divided into a lower active pattern 105 b (whose sidewallmay be covered by the isolation pattern 120), and an upper activepattern 105 a (not covered by the isolation pattern 120 but protrudingtherefrom).

Referring to FIGS. 8 to 10, a dummy gate structure may be formed on thesubstrate 100.

For example, the dummy gate structure may be formed by sequentiallyforming a dummy gate insulation layer, a dummy gate electrode layer anda dummy gate mask layer on the substrate 100 and the isolation pattern120, patterning the dummy gate mask layer to form a dummy gate mask 150,and sequentially etching the dummy gate electrode layer and the dummygate insulation layer using the dummy gate mask 150 as an etching mask.

Thus, the dummy gate structure may include a dummy gate insulationpattern 130, a dummy gate electrode 140, and the dummy gate mask 150sequentially stacked on the substrate 100.

The dummy gate insulation layer may be formed by, e.g., a chemical vapordeposition (CVD) process, an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, etc.In an implementation, the dummy gate insulation layer may be formed by athermal oxidation process on an upper portion of the substrate 100, andin this case, the dummy gate insulation layer may be formed only on theupper active pattern 105 a.

In an implementation, the dummy gate structure may extend in the seconddirection, and a plurality of dummy gate structures may be formed in thefirst direction.

Referring to FIGS. 11 to 13, a gate spacer 160 may be formed on asidewall of the dummy gate structure.

The gate spacer 160 may be formed by forming a spacer layer on theactive fin 105 and the isolation pattern 120 to cover the dummy gatestructure, and anisotropically etching the spacer layer. The gate spacer160 may be formed on each of opposite sidewalls of the dummy gatestructure in the first direction, and a fin spacer 170 may be alsoformed on each of opposite sidewalls of the upper active pattern 105 ain the second direction.

Referring to FIG. 14, a first mask 180 may be formed to cover some ofthe active fins 105 and expose other ones of the active fins 105, andthe upper active patterns 105 a of the exposed active fins 105 may beremoved using the first mask 180 as an etching mask to form dummy activefins including only the lower active patterns 105 b, respectively.

In an implementation, the first mask 180 may expose one or more activefins 105, and thus one or more dummy active fins may be formed. In animplementation, as shown in FIG. 14, the upper active patterns 105 a ofneighboring two active fins 105 may be removed to form two dummy activefins.

When the dummy active fins are formed, the fin spacers 170 on thesidewalls of the upper active patterns 105 a (of the dummy fins) may bealso removed.

Referring to FIGS. 15 to 17, after removing the first mask 180, an upperportion of the active fin 105 adjacent the gate spacer 160 may be etchedto form a second recess 190.

For example, the upper portion of the active fin 105 may be removed by adry etching process using the dummy gate structure and the gate spacer160 on a sidewall thereof as an etching mask to form the second recess190. When the second recess 190 is formed, the fin spacer 170 adjacentthe active fin 105 may be mostly removed, and only a lower portion ofthe fin spacer 170 may remain. The lower active patterns 105 b of thedummy active fins may be also partially or entirely removed to form athird recess 200.

In an implementation, as shown in the figures, as a portion of the upperactive pattern 105 a is etched to form the second recess 190, a bottomof the second recess 190 may be higher than a top surface of the loweractive pattern 105 b.

After forming a second mask to fill the third recess 200, a source/drainlayer 210 may be formed to fill the second recess 190.

In an implementation, the source/drain layer 210 may be formed by aselective epitaxial growth (SEG) process using an upper surface of theactive fin 105 exposed by the second recess 190 as a seed.

In an implementation, as the SEG process is performed, a singlecrystalline silicon-germanium layer may be formed to serve as thesource/drain layer 210. Additionally, a p-type impurity source gas maybe also used to form a single crystalline silicon-germanium layer dopedwith p-type impurities serving as the source/drain layer 210. Thus, thesource/drain layer 210 may serve as a source/drain region of a PMOStransistor.

The source/drain layer 210 may grow not only in a vertical direction butalso in a horizontal direction to fill the second recess 190, and maycontact a sidewall of the gate spacer 160.

In an implementation, when the active fins 105 disposed in the seconddirection are close to each other, the source/drain layers 210 growingon the respective active fins 105 may be merged with each other. In animplementation, as shown in FIGS. 15 to 17, two source/drain layers 210grown on neighboring two active fins 105 may be merged with each other.In an implementation, more than two source/drain layers 210 may bemerged with each other.

In an implementation, the source/drain layer 210 may serve as thesource/drain region of the PMOS transistor. In an implementation, thesource/drain layer 210 may also serve as a source/drain region of anNMOS transistor.

In an implementation, a single crystalline silicon carbide layer may beformed as the source/drain layer 210. In the SEG process, an n-typeimpurity source gas may be also used to form a single crystallinesilicon carbide layer doped with n-type impurities.

Referring to FIGS. 18 to 21, after removing the second mask, aninsulation layer 220 may be formed on the substrate 100 to cover thedummy gate structure, the gate spacer 160, the fin spacer 170, and thesource/drain layer 210, and may be planarized until the dummy gateelectrode 140 of the dummy gate structure is exposed.

In the planarization process, the dummy gate mask 150 may be alsoremoved, and an upper surface of the gate spacer 160 may be removed. Aspace between the merged source/drain layers 210 and the isolationpattern 120 may not be filled with the insulation layer 220, and thus anair gap 225 may be formed.

The planarization process may be performed by, e.g., a chemicalmechanical polishing (CMP) process and/or an etch back process.

The exposed dummy gate electrode 140 and the dummy gate insulationpattern 130 thereunder may be removed to form a first opening 230exposing an inner sidewall of the gate spacer 160 and an upper surfaceof the active fin 105, and a gate structure 280 may be formed to fillthe first opening 230.

The gate structure 280 may be formed by the following processes.

After performing a thermal oxidation process on the exposed uppersurface of the active fin 105 exposed by the first opening 230 to forman interface pattern 240, a gate insulation layer and a work functioncontrol layer may be sequentially formed on the interface pattern 240,the isolation pattern 120, the gate spacer 160, and the insulation layer220, and a gate electrode layer may be formed on the work functioncontrol layer to sufficiently fill a remaining portion of the firstopening 230.

The interface pattern 240 may be formed instead of the thermal oxidationprocess, by a CVD process, an ALD process, or the like, similarly to thegate insulation layer or the gate electrode layer. In this case, theinterface pattern 240 may be formed not only on the upper surface of theactive fin 105 but also on the upper surface of the isolation pattern120 and the inner sidewall of the gate spacer 160.

The gate electrode layer, the work function control layer, and the gateinsulation layer may be planarized until an upper surface of theinsulation layer 220 may be exposed to form a gate insulation pattern250 and a work function control pattern 260 sequentially stacked on theinterface pattern 240, the isolation pattern 120, and the inner sidewallof the gate spacer 160, and a gate electrode 270 filling the remainingportion of the first opening 230 on the work function control pattern260.

The interface pattern 240, the gate insulation pattern 250, the workfunction control pattern 260 and the gate electrode 270 sequentiallystacked may form the gate structure 280, and the gate structure 280together with the source/drain layer 210 may form a PMOS transistor oran NMOS transistor according to the conductivity type of thesource/drain layer 210.

Referring to FIGS. 22 to 24, a capping layer 290 and a first insulatinginterlayer 300 may be sequentially formed on the insulation layer 220,the gate structure 280, and the gate spacer 160, and first and secondcontact plugs 332 and 334 may be formed through the insulation layer220, the capping layer 290, and the first insulating interlayer 300 tocontact upper surfaces of the source/drain layers 210.

The first and second contact plugs 332 and 334 may be formed, e.g., byfollowing processes.

Second and third openings 310 and 315 may be formed through theinsulation layer 220, the capping layer 290 and the first insulatinginterlayer 300 to expose the upper surfaces of the source/drain layers210, a first metal layer may be formed on the exposed upper surfaces ofthe source/drain layers 210, sidewalls of the second and third openings310 and 315, and the upper surface of the first insulating interlayer300, and a heat treatment process may be performed thereon to form afirst metal silicide pattern 320 on each of the source/drain layers 210.

In an implementation, each of the second and third openings 310 and 315may be formed to have a high aspect ratio, and a width of each of thesecond and third openings 310 and 315 may decrease from a top toward abottom thereof.

A first barrier layer may be formed on the first metal silicide pattern320, the sidewalls of the second and third openings 310 and 315, and theupper surface of the first insulating interlayer 300, a second metallayer may be formed on the first barrier layer to fill the second andthird openings 310 and 315, and the second metal layer and the firstbarrier layer may be planarized until the upper surface of the firstinsulating interlayer 300 are exposed.

Thus, the first and second contact plugs 332 and 334 may be formed onthe first metal silicide pattern 320 to fill the second and thirdopenings 310 and 315, respectively.

Each of the first and second contact plugs 332 and 334 may include asecond metal pattern and a first barrier pattern covering a lowersurface and a sidewall of the second metal pattern.

In an implementation, the first and second contact plugs 332 and 334 maybe formed on the source/drain layers 210 on the active fins 105, andthus may not vertically overlap the dummy active fins having only theremaining lower active patterns 105 b.

Each of the first contact plugs 332 may extend in the second directionto a given length, and a plurality of first contact plugs 332 may beformed in the first direction. The second contact plug 334 may extend inthe second direction to a given length, and one or more than one secondcontact plugs 334 may be formed in the first direction. In the figure,two second contact plugs 334 are shown.

As illustrated above, each of the second and third openings 310 and 315may have a width decreasing from a top toward a bottom thereof, and thuseach of the first and second contact plugs 332 and 334 filling each ofthe second and third openings 310 and 315 may have a width decreasingfrom a top toward a bottom thereof.

Referring to FIGS. 25 to 28, a third mask 340 may be formed on the firstinsulating interlayer 300 to cover the second contact plug 334, and anupper portion of each of the first contact plugs 332 may be removed toform a fourth recess 350.

In each of the first contact plugs 332, an upper portion may have awidth greater than a lower portion, and the upper portion of each of thefirst contact plugs 332 may be removed to form the fourth recess 350.Thus, a distance between the first contact plugs 332 may increase.

An ion implantation process may be performed using the third mask 340 asan ion implantation mask to implant ions into an upper portion of thefirst insulating interlayer 300, and an insulation reinforcing layer 305may be formed.

In an implementation, the ions may include silicon ion, and when thefirst insulating interlayer 300 includes silicon oxide, a silicon-richsilicon oxide layer may be formed as the insulation reinforcing layer305. In an implementation, the insulation reinforcing layer 305 mayinclude other types of materials.

In an implementation, the insulation reinforcing layer 305 may be formedon an upper surface of the first insulating interlayer 300 to a uniformthickness. Due to the formation of the fourth recesses 350, the uppersurface of the first insulating interlayer 300 may not have a constantheight, and thus the insulation reinforcing layer 305 may have a varyingheight.

By the ion implantation process, ions may be also implanted into upperportions of the first contact plugs 332, e.g., when silicon ion isimplanted, a second metal silicide pattern 336 may be formed on each ofthe first contact plugs 332.

Referring to FIGS. 29 and 30, after removing the third mask 340, asecond insulating interlayer 360 may be formed on the first insulatinginterlayer 300 on which the insulation reinforcing layer 305 is formed,the first contact plugs 332 on which the second metal silicide patterns336 are formed, and the second contact plug 334.

A fourth opening 370 may be formed through the second insulatinginterlayer 360, the first insulating interlayer 300 on which theinsulation reinforcing layer 305 is formed, and the capping layer toexpose an upper surface of one of the gate structures 280, and a fifthopening 375 may be formed through the second insulating interlayer 360,the first insulating interlayer 300, a portion of the second contactplug 334, and the capping layer to expose an upper surface of at leastone of the gate structures 280.

In an implementation, the fourth opening 370 may be formed betweenneighboring ones of the first contact plugs 332 in the first directionon the source/drain layers 210 at opposite sides of the gate structure280, and thus may not vertically overlap the dummy active fin.

In an implementation, the fifth opening 375 may expose a sidewall of thesecond contact plug 334, e.g., when two second contact plugs 334 areformed at opposite sides of the gate structure 280 in the firstdirection, the fifth opening 375 may expose respective sidewalls of thetwo second contact plugs 334.

First and second insulating spacers 382 and 384 may be formed onsidewalls of the fourth and fifth openings 370 and 375, respectively.Thus, a sidewall of the second contact plug 334 exposed by the fifthopening 375 may be covered by the second insulating spacer 384.

In an implementation, the first and second insulating spacers 382 and384 may be formed by forming an insulating spacer layer on bottoms andsidewalls of the fourth and fifth openings 370 and 375, and on thesecond insulating interlayer 360, and anisotropically etching theinsulating spacer layer.

The insulating spacer layer may be formed of an oxide, e.g., siliconoxide.

In an implementation, each of the first and second insulating spacers382 and 384 may have a hollow cylindrical shape.

Referring to FIG. 31, after forming a fourth mask 377 on the secondinsulating interlayer 360 to cover the fourth opening 370, and thesecond insulating spacer 384 in the fifth opening 375 may be removed byan etching process using the fourth mask 377 as an etching mask.

Thus, the sidewall of the second contact plug 334 covered by the secondinsulating spacer 384 may be exposed.

Referring to FIGS. 32 to 34, third and fourth contact plugs 392 and 394may be formed to fill the fourth and fifth openings 370 and 375,respectively.

In an implementation, the third and fourth contact plugs 392 and 394 maybe formed by forming a second barrier layer on a bottom of the fourthopening 370, the first insulating spacer 382, a bottom and a sidewall ofthe fifth opening 375, and the second insulating interlayer 360, forminga third metal layer on the second barrier layer to fill the fourth andfifth openings 370 and 375, and planarizing the third metal layer andthe second barrier layer until an upper surface of the second insulatinginterlayer 360 is exposed.

Thus, the third contact plug 392 of which a sidewall may be covered bythe first insulating spacer 382 may be formed on an upper surface of oneof the gate structures 280, and the fourth contact plug 394 may beformed on an upper surface of at least one of the gate structures 280 tofill the fifth opening 375. Each of the third and fourth contact plugs392 and 394 may include a third metal pattern and a second barrierpattern covering a lower surface and a sidewall of the third metalpattern.

In an implementation, the second barrier layer may be formed, and thuseach of the third and fourth contact plugs 392 and 394 may include onlythe third metal pattern.

In an implementation, each of the third and fourth contact plugs 392 and394 may be formed to be close the first and second contact plugs 332 and334 in the first direction on the source/drain layers 210, and may notvertically overlap the dummy active fin including only the remaininglower active pattern 105 b.

In an implementation, the third contact plug 392 may be formed betweenneighboring ones of the first contact plugs 332 in the first direction,and even if a misalignment were to occur during the formation of thefourth opening for forming the third contact plug 392, the sidewall ofthe third contact plug 392 may be covered by the first insulating spacer382, and thus may be electrically insulated from the first contact plugs332.

As the upper portions of the first contact plugs 332 having therelatively large width are removed, a distance between the third contactplug 392 and the first contact plugs 332 may increase, and thus thepossibility that the first and third contact plugs 332 and 392 maycontact each other may decrease.

Further, the insulation reinforcing layer 305 may be formed on the firstinsulating interlayer 300 through which the first contact plugs 332 areformed, and thus the electrical insulation between the first and thirdcontact plugs 332 and 392 may be enhanced.

The second insulating spacer 384 on the sidewall of the fifth opening375 may be removed so that a sidewall of the fourth contact plug 394filling the fifth opening 375 and commonly contacting an upper surfaceof the gate structure 280 and the second contact plug 334 adjacentthereto may not be covered by an insulating spacer, unlike the thirdcontact plug 392, and thus the contact resistance between the second andfourth contact plugs 334 and 394 may not increase.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5 again, a third insulating interlayer 400 maybe formed on the second insulating interlayer 360, the third and fourthcontact plugs 392 and 394, and the first insulating spacer 382, andwirings 420 may be formed in the third insulating interlayer 400 to beelectrically connected to some of the first to fourth contact plugs 332,334, 392 and 394.

In an implementation, each of the wirings 420 may extend in the firstdirection, and a plurality of wirings 420 may be formed in the seconddirection.

In an implementation, some of the wirings 420 may be electricallyconnected to the first contact plug 332, which may be possible throughthe first via 412 extending through the second and third insulatinginterlayers 360 and 400 and contacting lower surfaces of the ones of thewirings 420 and an upper surface of the first contact plug 332. Otherones of the wirings 420 may be electrically connected to the thirdcontact plug 392, which may be possible through the second via 414extending through the third insulating interlayer 400 and contactinglower surfaces of the other ones of the wirings 420 and an upper surfaceof the third contact plug 392.

In an implementation, the wirings 420 and the first and second vias 412and 414 may be simultaneously formed by a dual damascene process. Thus,each of the wirings 420 and each of the first and second vias 412 and414 may be formed to include a fourth metal pattern and a third barrierpattern covering a lower surface and a sidewall of the fourth metalpattern.

In an implementation, the wirings 420 and each of the first and secondvias 412 and 414 may be formed by single damascene processindependently.

FIG. 35 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor device inaccordance with example embodiments. This semiconductor device may besubstantially the same as or similar to that of FIGS. 1 to 5, except forthe locations of the first and second contact plugs. Thus, likereference numerals refer to like elements, and detailed descriptionsthereon may be omitted below in the interest of brevity.

Referring to FIG. 35, each of the first and second contact plugs 332 and334 may vertically overlap the active fin 105. In an implementation, asillustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5, each of the first and second contact plugs332 and 334 may be formed on a merged portion of the merged source/drainlayer 210 having grown on the neighboring active fins 105 and mayvertically overlap the isolation pattern 120. In an implementation, asillustrated in FIG. 35, the first and second contact plugs 332 and 334may contact an upper surface of the source/drain layer 210 directly onthe active fin 105.

FIG. 36 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor device inaccordance with example embodiments. This semiconductor device may besubstantially the same as or similar to that of FIGS. 1 to 5, except forthe first insulating interlayer and the second contact plug. Thus, likereference numerals refer to like elements, and detailed descriptionsthereon may be omitted below in the interest of brevity.

Referring to FIG. 36, not only the fourth recess 350 but also a fifthrecess 355 may be formed on the first insulating interlayer 300, and thesecond contact plug 334 may be formed under the fifth recess 355.Additionally, a third metal silicide pattern 338 may be formed on thesecond contact plug 334.

FIGS. 37 to 39 illustrate a plan view and cross-sectional views ofstages in a method of manufacturing a semiconductor in accordance withexample embodiments. For example, FIG. 37 is a plan view, and FIGS. 38and 39 are cross-sectional views taken along lines D-D′, respectively,of FIG. 37. This method may include processes substantially the same asor similar to those illustrated with reference to FIGS. 6 to 34, anddetailed descriptions thereon are omitted herein.

First, processes substantially the same as or similar to thoseillustrated with reference to FIGS. 6 to 24 may be performed.

Referring to FIGS. 37 and 38, processes substantially the same as orsimilar to those illustrated with reference to FIGS. 25 to 28 may beperformed. However, the third mask 340 covering the second contact plug334 may not be formed, and thus the upper portions of the first andsecond contact plugs 332 and 334 may be removed to form the fourth andfifth recesses 350 and 355, respectively. By an ion implantationprocess, the insulation reinforcing layer 305 may be formed on an entireupper surface of the first insulating interlayer 300, and the second andthird metal silicide patterns 336 and 338 may be formed on the first andsecond contact plugs 332 and 334, respectively.

Referring to FIG. 39, processes substantially the same as or similar tothose illustrated with reference to FIGS. 29 and 30 may be performed,and thus the first and second insulating spacers 382 and 384 may beformed on sidewalls of the fourth and fifth openings 370 and 375,respectively.

Referring to FIG. 36 again, processes substantially the same as orsimilar to those illustrated with reference to FIGS. 31 to 34 and FIGS.1 to 5 may be performed to complete the semiconductor device.

FIGS. 40 and 41 illustrate cross-sectional views of a semiconductordevice in accordance with example embodiments. This semiconductor devicemay be substantially the same as or similar to that of FIGS. 1 to 5,except for the fourth contact plug. Thus, like reference numerals referto like elements, and detailed descriptions thereon may be omitted belowin the interest of brevity.

Referring to FIG. 40, unlike that of FIGS. 1 to 5, the fourth contactplug 394 may commonly contact the upper surface of the gate structure280 and only one second contact plug 334 adjacent thereto.

Referring to FIG. 41, similarly to that of FIG. 36, not only the fourthrecess 350 but also the fifth recess 355 may be formed on the firstinsulating interlayer 300, and the second contact plug 334 may be formedunder the fifth recess 355. Additionally, the third metal silicidepattern 338 may be formed on the second contact plug 334.

The above semiconductor device and the method of manufacturing thesemiconductor device may be applied to various types of memory devicesincluding contact plugs.

By way of summation and review, a distance between the first and secondcontact plugs could be made so great that no electrical short couldpossibly occur therebetween. However, the first contact plug may beformed not only above the isolation layer but also above thesource/drain layer, and thus the distance between the first and secondcontact plugs may be so short that an electrical short may occurtherebetween.

The embodiments may provide a semiconductor device having goodcharacteristics.

In the semiconductor device in accordance with example embodiments, evenif cell sizes decrease, the electrical insulation between contact plugsmay be enhanced, and the electrical short may be reduced or prevented.

Example embodiments have been disclosed herein, and although specificterms are employed, they are used and are to be interpreted in a genericand descriptive sense only and not for purpose of limitation. In someinstances, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art asof the filing of the present application, features, characteristics,and/or elements described in connection with a particular embodiment maybe used singly or in combination with features, characteristics, and/orelements described in connection with other embodiments unless otherwisespecifically indicated. Accordingly, it will be understood by those ofskill in the art that various changes in form and details may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention asset forth in the following claims.

1-32. (canceled)
 33. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device,the method comprising: forming transistors on a substrate such that eachof the transistors includes a gate structure and a source/drain layeradjacent thereto; forming a first insulating interlayer on the substrateto cover the transistors; forming first contact plugs and a secondcontact plug through the first insulating interlayer to contact thesource/drain layers, respectively; forming a second insulatinginterlayer on the first insulating interlayer, and the first and secondcontact plugs; forming first and second openings through the first andsecond insulating interlayers such that the first opening exposes one ofthe gate structures and the second opening commonly exposes at least oneof the gate structures and the second contact plug adjacent thereto;forming a first insulating spacer on a sidewall of the first opening;and forming third and fourth contact plugs in the first and secondopenings, respectively.
 34. The method as claimed in claim 33, whereinforming the first insulating spacer includes: forming the firstinsulating spacer and a second insulating spacer on the sidewall of thefirst opening and on a sidewall of the second opening, respectively; andperforming an etching process using an etching mask covering the firstopening to remove the second insulating spacer on the sidewall of thesecond opening.
 35. The method as claimed in claim 34, wherein formingthe first insulating spacer and the second insulating spacer includes:forming an insulating spacer layer on bottoms and sidewalls of the firstand second openings and on the second insulating interlayer; andanisotropically etching the insulating spacer layer.
 36. The method asclaimed in claim 33, further comprising, after forming the first contactplugs and the second contact plug, removing upper portions of the firstcontact plugs and/or an upper surface of the second contact plug. 37.The method as claimed in claim 36, wherein removing the upper portionsof the first contact plugs and/or the upper surface of the secondcontact plug includes performing an etching process using an etchingmask covering the second contact plug to remove only the upper portionsof the first contact plugs.
 38. The method as claimed in claim 36,further comprising, after removing the upper portions of the firstcontact plugs and/or the upper surface of the second contact plug,implanting ions into an upper portion of the first insulatinginterlayer.
 39. The method as claimed in claim 33, wherein forming thetransistors on the substrate includes: forming dummy gate structures onthe substrate; forming the source/drain layers on portions of thesubstrate adjacent the dummy gate structures; and replacing the dummygate structures with the gate structures, respectively.
 40. The methodas claimed in claim 39, further comprising, prior to forming the dummygate structures: partially removing an upper portion of the substrate toform a plurality of active fins in a second direction, each of theactive fins extending in a first direction substantially perpendicularto the second direction; and forming an isolation pattern to cover lowersidewalls of the active fins, wherein each of the dummy gate structuresextends in the second direction on the active fins and the isolationpattern.
 41. The method as claimed in claim 40, further comprising,after forming the dummy gate structures, removing an upper portion of atleast one of the active fins to form at least one dummy active fin. 42.The method as claimed in claim 41, wherein forming the source/drainlayers on the portions of the substrate adjacent the dummy gatestructures includes: removing upper portions of the active fins adjacentthe gate structures to form recesses; and performing an SEG process toform the source/drain layers in the recesses, respectively.
 43. Themethod as claimed in claim 41, wherein the first opening does notvertically overlap the at least one dummy active fin.
 44. A method ofmanufacturing a semiconductor device, the method comprising: formingtransistors on a substrate such that each of the transistors includes agate structure and a source/drain layer adjacent thereto; forming afirst insulating interlayer on the substrate to cover the transistors;forming first and second contact plugs through the first insulatinginterlayer to contact the source/drain layers, respectively; removingupper portions of the first contact plugs; implanting ions into an upperportion of the first insulating interlayer; forming a second insulatinginterlayer on the first insulating interlayer and the first and secondcontact plugs; and forming third and fourth contact plugs through thefirst and second insulating interlayers such that the third contact plugcontacts one of the gate structures and the fourth contact plug commonlycontacts at least one of the gate structures and the second contact plugadjacent thereto.
 45. The method as claimed in claim 44, wherein formingthe third and fourth contact plugs includes: forming first and secondopenings through the first and second insulating interlayers such thatthe first opening exposes an upper surface of the one of the gatestructures and the second opening commonly exposes the at least one ofthe gate structures and the second contact plug adjacent thereto;forming an insulating spacer on a sidewall of the first opening; andforming the third and fourth contact plugs to fill the first and secondopenings, respectively.
 46. The method as claimed in claim 44, whereinthe fourth contact plug contacts at least one of the gate structures andthe second contact plugs at opposite sides thereof. 47.-53. (canceled)